Murrow Grad. AU Alumnus. Multimedia Pro.

An Apology to Kesha: Whom I used to Dislike

Hey guys, it’s me here and, for the moment, things are really kick-ass in my life. I’ve got a great job, cool car, am living in an area that doesn’t drive me nuts and seem to have matured a tad in a short period of time. Not only am I putting past trivial nonsense behind me, but I’ve also decided to admit I was wrong about something. To be more specific, I shouldn’t have mocked Kesha.

You know who she is, the singer of Tik Tok, the person whose sense of style at one point in time could have childishly been described as “glitter vomit” and an (Alleged) victim of serious abuse.

I won’t get into it here in depth, so instead I’ll give you the gist. Recently, she sued her former producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald in court with the aim of breaking free from her contract with his record company. She didn’t prevail, is still under contract at Kemosabe Records. Though apparently, her new album Rainbow was made without Gottwald’s involvement.

There’s the standard interesting tracks, a couple of cool collaborations with the Eagles of Death Metal and acclaimed country artist Dolly Parton, but what rises above them all is Praying. A song whose lyrics seem to make reference to the abuse allegations Kesha made against Gottwald.

In the video, the singer, free of autotune that once defined her, traipses through an exotic and colorful landscape while adorned in religious imagery and all the while showcasing her amazing voice.

I know this is shameless, but the first time I heard the song, I found myself crying.

Maybe it was the lyrics about going through Hell and coming out strong that spoke to me, or maybe it was the imagery or perhaps it was the delight I felt at finally seeing someone shed their shitty managed image and being able to showcase their legitimate talent for a change, but the song and its accompanying video filled me with an immensely powerful sense of jubilation.

I can’t help but wonder what other poor performers out there are also secretly insanely amazing? Is Kevin James actually an incognito incarnation of Marlon Brando? Does Justin Bieber actually act like a nice and well-rounded person in private? Sadly, the world may never truly know.

Until then, we can work with Kesha. Though she will never see this, I will speak directly to her for a moment. Ma’am, I am sorry I denigrated you in the past. I was wrong and you’re amazing. Please keep making beautiful music that moves me to tears.